If I had to pick one make-or-break organizational skill for making a climbing advocacy organization last, it's all about succession planning. For the mission and work to continue, we must eventually pass the torch to the next leaders. At Access Fund, we recently said goodbye to our executive director of almost 11 years. Because Brady assembled a deep bench of dedicated staff, ever-focused on our mission to keep climbing areas open, our work continues uninterrupted. And much of that work is possible because of our national network of local climbing organizations like yours. So, from everyone here at Access Fund, thank you for your partnership. Whether it's alpine season, bug season, humidity season, or prime sending season, I hope your summer is going well and you're squeezing in some climbing. And please join us in September for our Climbing Advocacy Summit and Annual Dinner in NYC!

Warm Regards,

Zachary Lesch-Huie
Interim Executive Director/National Affiliate Director

New Campaign to Raise Stakes on Climbing Area Stewardship

Many of our climbing areas are hitting a critical threshold of unacceptable impact. You know it, we know it, but the climbing community at large doesn't always recognize the problem or support the solutions. Despite our collective efforts to ramp up climbing area stewardship work, we're often only able to scratch the surface of the real need for sustainable recreation infrastructure that will help our climbing areas withstand the increasing traffic. We need more resources to help your organization and our Conservation Teams address this growing need. So, we're going to start making some noise on this, and even playing some scary music about the state of our nation's crags. It's going to be uncomfortable in this first phase, and we want you--our LCO partners--to know that we put the utmost value on the work you're doing on the ground every day to improve our climbing areas. But we need the broader climbing community to understand the scope of the challenge and support this critical need with more attention, more volunteers, and more funding. This increased awareness will also help us better celebrate the work you're all doing across the country in a meaningful way. Check out our latest blog on America's Deteriorating Climbing Areas to learn more, and please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. ~Ty Tyler, Stewardship Director

Meet Our New Program Associate

As Access Fund continues to grow and take on more projects, we have expanded our programs team to keep up. Jenna Winkler (formerly Snyder), who has served in headquarters for several years as Office Manager, made the seamless transition to Program Associate in April of this year. You may have worked with Jenna as your LCO pursued joint membership or maybe you received an Adopt a Crag support box from her. These experiences have sharpened her skills in supporting the climbing community, and we are excited to have her more involved! In her new position, Jenna will focus on maintaining partnerships with LCOs, assisting the Conservation Teams, and overseeing the grants program. ~Joe Sambataro, Access Director & Northwest Regional Director

Register Now for the National Climbing Advocacy Summit in NYC, September 22

Seats are filling up fast as climbing advocates from all over the country register for the national Climbing Advocacy Summit in NYC on September 22. Our summits are the largest gathering of core climbing advocates, conservationists, pro athletes, land management agencies, guides, and climbing gym partners. All are welcome! Whether you're new to climbing advocacy or an old-school veteran, you'll find people and presentations to connect with and inspire your work back home. Workshops will cover establishing climbing on public lands, getting involved with your local climbing group, connecting with new climbers, providing effective climbing area stewardship, cliff ecology, and much more. Check out the full agenda here and register soon. We hope to see you there! ~Jenna Winkler, Program Associate

Preliminary Results from National LCO Survey

Earlier this year we launched a national LCO Survey, and the preliminary results are in. Big thanks to Dr. James Maples and his students at Eastern Kentucky University for helping process this data! So far, we've heard from about 24 percent of LCOs, and we'd love to hear from more! If you have not taken the survey, it's not too late. This comprehensive survey, which covers nearly all aspects of your vital work, will be an essential guide for how Access Fund can better support the national network of local climbing organizations. ~Zachary Lesch-Huie, Interim Executive Director/National Affiliate Directo

Anchor Replacement Grant Fund Open for Applications

Access Fund and American Alpine Club invite local climbing and anchor replacement organizations to submit applications for funding to the Anchor Replacement Fund (ARF) grant program by September 15. This program funds and supports anchor replacement initiatives all across the country. Grant applications are reviewed by a team of experts from Access Fund, American Alpine Club, and the anchor replacement community. Since 2015, we've awarded over $30,000 to help organizations across the US tackle anchor replacement work at their climbing areas.This fund is made possible by the generous support of 5.10, Climb Tech, Petzl, and Trango. For more information on ARF guidelines and to download an application, visit www.accessfund.org/grants and reach out to me with any questions. ~Mike Morin, Northeast Regional Director

Movers & Shakers

Southeast New England Climbers Coalition
Welcome Southeast New England Climbers Coalition into the joint membership program! This group was created to bring New Englanders together to work on access issues across the region.
Learn More

Telluride Mountain Club
A big thanks to Telluride Mountain Club for its support as Society Turn was transferred from Access Fund to the county for long-term climbing-friendly management.
Learn More

CRAG Sacramento
Thanks to Climbing Resource Advocates for Greater Sacramento for working alongside the Access Fund-Jeep Conservation Team to revamp approach trails and staging areas at Black Wall on Donner Summit
Learn More

New in the Resource Center

• LCO 101: Replacing Bad Bolts. Learn More
• New Self-Service Educational Signage Center! Lean More
• Adopt a Crag season is here. Register